Need a lightweight folder for hiking

B

brucers99

Joined
Jan 22, 2006
Messages
11
I wanted to come to the resident experts. I need a lightweight folder for a long distance hiking trip.

Desired characteristics are:

  • Less than 4oz
  • Extremely corrosion resistant as it will be used in a wet environment
  • Blade must keep an edge during hard use
  • Conducive to use with gloves, but not painfully aggressive scales
  • Blade cannot be serrated, recurve or tanto style
  • Very good locking mechanism
  • Less than $400
  • Must be readily available for purchase (a store link will help)


I would like something with a little style and something that is different than what my hiking partners will be carrying (Benchmade Griptilians).

Thank you all for your expert help!
 
Spyderco endura pacific salt h1 or endura vg-10. Cold steel voyager clip point, lawman, recon 1. How hard of use? Ceramics?
 
Recon 1 light, super strong, nice grippy handles, big enough to use with gloves, stainless steel. You could buy 4 for that price.
 
good knife the pacific salt.i like the marine yellow version,makes it easy to find.or the orange endura.with that budget you could get both with $200+ left over.i like the emerson cqc-10 plain blade too.little more $ but emerson's are great blades.my 02 commander spends more time in my pocket than any other folder i own.
 
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My first question would be if you're going to be carrying or have access to a sharpener and what type?

Based solely on your criteria I'd go with something like an S30V Spyderco Military for durability or an axis-locking Benchmade for what I consider a refined durability. There are plenty of others out there, those are just what I'm most familiar with.
 
ok here goes.

first im suprised at the amount of people that just ignored your desire to not carry a griptillian.

so now lets adress your knife problem.

any knife you would want to carry out into the woods is most likely going to be more than 4 ozs. id be interested on why you settled on that weight and if it is really important to you i suggest the al mar nomad: http://www.knifecenter.com/item/AMND2/al-mar-nomad-locking-liner-folder

i think you should reconsider your weight idea and go for a more robust and utilitarian knife.

a great knife thats half your standard is the bladetech pro hunter: http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/BT01MGPEOR/blade-tech-wegner-professional-4-3-4-inch. it weighs a mere 4.8 ozs and its very corrosion resistant. i read a tk article where they tested it in the amazon and it did just fine.

if you want a big honking knife thats indestructible and extremley unique i reccomend graymans satu folder. thing is bombproof and handmade at a reasonable cost. so why not go for it? also you can get a custom at a reasonable price from three sisters forge. yet again why stick with the herd? for 300 you can get a custom one of a kind folder. and you might even get one that weighs in under 4 ozs if its all g-10 with a ti liner and not overly thick blade. shop around on site like arizona custom knives or bladeart.com and look for something that speaks to you.
 
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I'm not sure about the Spyderco Salt models unless you're getting a serrated version. The steel has no carbides to speak of, and it's a work hardening steel, so the plain edge model would have similar edge holding to 12C27. I've never seen the SXXV series rust, though the harshest thing I've ever done to it is cut fruit without washing and wiping it dry for a day or two. I'm not sure how well it does in constant wet conditions or salt water. Though I did see one member post pictures of a rusted Sebenza blade after having left it in the snow for a month or two(wasn't TOO bad).

If that's enough, I would recommend a Para2. If not, your only other option would be N680, which will inevitably lead back to Benchmade. Either the 110H2O or 915 Triage models, though both are over 4 oz. The HK Soldat would fit the bill better, though I can't speak on how strong that button lock mechanism is given that my only knife with it is a 3" William Henry. In general I don't feel lock strength is relevant in most cases unless you're hammering something with the spine.
 
I like the above mentioned blades, especially the Bladetech Pro Hunter. When I hike, I tend to carry a fixed blade and a SAK or an Endura. If I was in your boots, I'd get a Spyderco Native Lightweight and a SAK Farmer or Hiker. Right now, you could get both the Native and Farmer for $75.63 shipped. The Native would be clipped to your pocket and you'd carry the SAK in a pouch, either on your belt or in the pack. The Hiker gives you a couple of backup blades and a saw.

Joe
 
Beanman13 said:
My first question would be if you're going to be carrying or have access to a sharpener and what type?

Based solely on your criteria I'd go with something like an S30V Spyderco Military for durability or an axis-locking Benchmade for what I consider a refined durability. There are plenty of others out there, those are just what I'm most familiar with.
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"Extremely corrosion resistant as it will be used in a wet environment"

I brought my S30v Para 2 to the lake where I spearfish, it never saw water beyond a wet hand. When I got home 4 days later I had to sand the rust off my blade.
 
Windex_ said:
"Extremely corrosion resistant as it will be used in a wet environment"

I brought my S30v Para 2 to the lake where I spearfish, it never saw water beyond a wet hand. When I got home 4 days later I had to sand the rust off my blade.
Click to expand...
I think simply being around salt water brings salt into the air itself, which would dry up on the blade. So washing the knife with fresh water would be recommended as soon as you're away.
 
I say the Kershaw Skyline it is around 3 oz,very easy to sharpen, and I have never had it fail on me through out 3 years of camping and hunting .... Plus they are only $30 so u could buy 2 of them .

very easy to use with gloves too ...
 
Spyderco H1. Nice and light and if you happen to loose it you won't be out to much. I carry one as a dive instructor and it has never rusted.
 
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